Traditions and Relations
by Henshin555
Summary: Note: There are a few original characters that appear in this story. If, you dislike OC character, do turn back. Summary: 12th September, just another average day at Otonakizaka Academy, whilst in class, Minami Kotori receives a message from her mother to go to the office after school where she sees a guy in an all-girls school, who is this guy and why is he here?
1. Chapter 1

A slight sigh came as the figure stepped into Otonakizaka Academy. It was obvious that the figure was going to stick out like a sore thumb in such an area however he had to do resolve what he steeled himself to do. Reaching his destination, he knocked on the door hoping things would go well.

It was September 12th and lessons were proceeding as per normal at Otonakizaka Academy. Minami Kotori suddenly felt two short vibrations from her skirt pocket. It was a text message sent to her cellphone. She quickly flipped her phone open, away from the sight of her teacher who was writing down equations on the whiteboard. It was a message from her mother, Minami Haruko who was also the principal of the school.

'_What does Mom want? Nothing was announced on the PA system so I guess it's not school related.'_ Kotori thought as the amber eyed teen laid eyes on the content of the message.

"_Come to the office after school. There's something that we need to discuss," _was all that was written on the message.

She hid back her phone into her pocket and adjusted her slightly loosened ribbon. Suddenly a piece of paper was flung onto her table. It was from one of her two childhood friends, Kousaka Honoka. The brunette was apparently had something to pass to Kotori after school in the Idol Research Club or rather, μ's clubroom. Kotori tossed back the paper, informing she'd be at the clubroom after she talks to her mom. Honoka simply gave Kotori a nod and thumbs-up signaling she understood the situation.

'_Still, what could Mom want? I mean, my grades aren't dropping and the school idol part is going smoothly. Could she have found out I'm Minalinksy?'_ Kotori wondered nervously as she knew her mom would not approve of her working while schooling.

When the lessons for the day ended, Kotori made her way to the office. She could hear a voice conversing with her mother from outside the Principal's office. It was the voice of a male and the teenage was quite confused on why a male would be in an all-girls school.

'_Could he be a member of the school's board of directors or something? Regardless, the principal called me so I have to follow through with it.'_ Kotori thought as she willed herself to enter the room.

Regardless of who was in the room, she knocked on the door politely, asked for permission to enter and stepped in once permission was given.

Her eyes immediately laid upon her mother who sat firmly in her chair then onto the back of the figure she was speaking to. She took note of his dressing, the fringe of his black hair was parted to the side and the back was tied up into a short ponytail. He wore a black sleeveless vest over a white short sleeved shirt and black pants matched with a pair of pure white sneakers.

She took a seat at the remaining unoccupied seat beside the male and the person immediately walked off to sit on the nearby couch in the corner.

'_What an unsociable guy.'_ Kotori thought as she began speaking to her mother.

She began to ask her mom, Minami Haruko on the reason why she was called to the office. Her heart raced at the worry of being found out of being Minalinsky but if this was not the case, she did not want to give it away though the conversation. She was surprised when her mom opened the drawer at her desk to pull out two small boxes and passed them both to Kotori.

"_Happy Birthday, Kotori."_ Her mother congratulated her with a smile on her face.

Her eyes widened. She had forgotten on her own birthday due to the tests as well as μ dance training. She had cleanly forgotten on a third party in the room and gave her mother a hug smiling gleefully.

"_Thank you, Mom. I mean, Principal Minami."_ Kotori responded teasing her mom using her title as a gag.

She left the room in a hurry realizing that she was late to meet up with the μ members.

"_Was it alright for you not to tell her that one of the presents was from you?"_ Principal Minami asked the seated figure.

"_No worries, Haruko-san. My intention is simply observe to make decisions and if possible, not get her involved." _The ponytailed teen said as he smiled at the middle-aged woman.

'_Not get her involved, you're intending to change the decision made, Kazuma?'_ Principal Minami thought worriedly knowing very well what the boy before him was getting at.

"_She's a beautiful young woman, Haruko-san, truly an angel with that smile of hers. I'm not sure how far I can go alone, but I'll do what I have to."_ Kazuma announced not to the Principal of the school but to the mother of Minami Kotori.

Kotori rushed into the room gripping tightly the two boxes, only to be showered in confetti. Instead of seeing the members watching and reviewing their practice videos, in the room was a cake and a banner with the words, "Happy Birthday" written on it.

"_Happy Birthday!" _rang every single member of μ causing Kotori to feel touched to the point of tears.

Surprised at the gifts already in her hand, the sapphire eyed Honoka asked who the gifts were from to which Kotori responded it was her mom.

"_Lemme see! Lemme see!"_ came the excited voice of the orange short haired, Hoshizora Rin who was eager to know what presents she had received from her mother.

'_Why are there two anyway? It's normally one per person.' _Thought the bluenette, Sonoda Umi as she observed the first small parcel being opened.

Inside it was a silver bracelet, simple in design with just slight engraving of Kotori's name on the front. It was an accessory much like Kotori, simple yet beautiful. It was like her mother to give her something that was not too costly yet suited her age.

'_What's in the second one? Is it part of a set?'_ Ayase Eri, the resident father-like figure thought of the most logical reasoning on why there were two presents.

It was unwrapped by Kotori and tension was high due to the curiosity of Rin, the twin tailed Niko and the brunette Honoka. Off went the lid of the unwrapped box and displayed clearly was a hairclip in the shape of two wings being spread out. It was made of silver and the top was layered with small crystals of varying colours. Most of the girls found it beautiful as did Kotori herself however it felt odd.

'_It's not like Mom to give something so flashy.'_ Kotori wondered however, she was suddenly shoved with eight more presents.

"_Well you've opened up your mom's gifts, now time for ours."_ Honoka smiled mischievously as she chuckled at Kotori almost losing balance from the excessive amount of presents she had to carry simultaneously.

Umi and Eri held her steady and reprimanded Honoka for her childish behaviour. Kotori who was having trouble balancing, placed the presents on the table near her. She stood in front of the members and flashed a smile at them.

"_Thanks everyone!"_ with tears still in her eyes, she thanked her close friends and fellow members.

Outside the room on his way out of Otonakizaka Academy, Matsuo Kazuma overheard the cries of 'Happy Birthday' and the thanks that came from a high pitched voice. He felt mixed feelings about carrying out his plane however, he could not stop.

'_I can't make her follow through with this. I have a year to complete my task.'_ He thought as he adjusted the elastic band that kept his ponytail intact.

'_Looks like I'll have to talk to my old man and the geezer.' _He registered the next process of what to do.

He made his way back home, riding a cab back. He massaged his temples. That sincere smile shown when she hugged her mother. He wondered what it was like to have a mother, as his mother was frail and had passed on after giving birth to him. That bittersweet feeling swelled in him until he reached the large gates of the Matsuo residence.

It was an olden themed house with many different rooms. Currently it was near dinner time and as such the workers inside were busy preparing dinner. He was sick of such treatment for quite some time and normally stayed in the college dormitory however, today was an exception.

He stepped pass the gate and went pass the long corridor. He walked on until he reached a wide closed door at a building detached from the house. It was technically a dojo however, as there were a lack of students, it was a place where two generations of Matsuo males usually were. He knocked on the door awaiting a response.

"_Who is it?" _came a burly middle-aged voice that sounded more like a roar than something that would come from a person.

'_Well, at the least, my old man seems healthy,' _Kazuma thought as he removed the band holding his pony tail and straightened his hair which reached slightly below his shoulder.

"_It is your son, Kazuma. Father, may I enter?"_ He asked, switching to a more formal tone of voice.

"_Go right ahead, son."_ The voiced boomed again as the door was slid open.

Kazuma stepped in sitting on the floor on his knees opposite to this father, Matsuo Azuma, who other than his short hair and larger build was practically an exact lookalike to himself. An even older figure sat behind on a cushion on his knees as well. The oldest of the three generations of Matsuo, Matsuo Yamato who smoked his pipe silently.

"_Father, Grandfather, we have a matter to discuss."_ Kazuma said looking his two blood relatives in the eye with strong resolve.

"_Involving Minami's grandchild?"_ The white haired old man spoke for the first time.

'_As always, Grandfather is fast on the pick up.'_ Kazuma thought as the tension in the room increase several fold.

"_Yes, I wish to annul my engagement with Minami Kotori."_ He declared to his father and grandfather.


	2. Chapter 2

The tension in the room increased several fold. For Kazuma to discuss to the two elder generations of the Matsuo family of an engagement annulment meant simply that he was going against what they had planned for him. Not the first time that he tried however, it was certainly the biggest thing he tried to sever himself from.

"_Oh? Elaborate, Kazuma"_ came further tension as both Azuma and Yamato began putting the pressure on him.

He could not turn back. If he were to back off now, he would end up angering both his family and himself for not having the resolve to stick with what he said.

"_I do not want to introduce myself into her life, if possible,"_ He said resolve unshaken as he steadily added on, _"I went to visit Otonakizaka Academy today, it was her birthday and how she honestly and sincerely smiled as she hugged Haruko-san, she has friends that care for her and she appreciates them. I don't want to make that happy life of her turn upside down due to an engagement."_

The two men looked at him then looked at each other. No words were said and they simply nodded at each other.

'_What a cunning person, picking specifically today to visit that school.'_ Matsuo Azuma, Kazuma's father thought admitting inside he was conflicted whether to agree with his son or not.

Azuma ran a hand through his slowly whitening hair. He was both angry and in awe at his son. If he had given a half-hearted excuse, his son would have been punched right out of the dojo. He looked at his son and wondered when did his son grow up to be someone who was willing to go against tradition and against his own relatives to protect someone else's happiness? He felt a slight hint of pride, yet it still irked him.

'_I am not sure about father, but grandfather clearly is not in agreement.'_ Kazuma thought as he noticed the old man despite being over 70 years old, swiftly making his way to the rack of wooden swords.

"_Pick up a blade, Kazuma. If you have the resolve, then prove it to me," _came a voice that was dripping with intent to punish the teen.

'_Father of the 'Beast Swordsman' and was banned from participating in competitions due to his aggressive fighting, Matsuo Yamato, this is how grandfather is when angered.'_ Kazuma thought as he stood up.

"_Grandfather, you were the one who taught me how to use a blade, you also taught me not to fight a losing battle which is how the situation is before me,"_ The teen said as he grabbed a blade before smirking adding on, _"You however, also taught me that a man when he settled on something, he should not waver thus I'll come at you with everything I have."_

"_Good resolve, I shall not think of you as my grandson during this duel, you are a man and an enemy."_ Yamato declared as he took a stance, his creaking bones seemingly fragile were ready for war.

'_The stubbornness of this family is showing.'_ Azuma thought as he prepared to referee the fight.

The two fighters got into their stances.

The referee was ready.

"_Begin!"_

Meanwhile, Kotori had just ended her celebration with the members of μ. They had stuffed themselves with cake and had a good time with her friends. The presents which she received were all placed into a carrier bag. It was getting late, around 8 at night and they still had school tomorrow.

'_I wonder if mom's still around.'_ Kotori wondered as she saw the rest had finished packing up.

As the first-years had a curfew to be back before 9pm, they rushed out leaving only six members of μ. The twin-tailed senior, Yazawa Niko took the phrase _'Don't stop until you drop'_ to a literal level as she ate and ate sweets to the point she was bloated and felt ill. Despite this, she still would not gain weight.

'_Niko-chan's metabolism is something scary,' _thought in unison the five unaffected members.

Kotori's phone in her skirt pocket began to vibrate. She had forgotten to set it back to _'General'_ setting. She flipped the phone open and saw it was her mom, who wanted her to get home as it was getting late. She could not deny that angering the principal by being late for school was a scary thing however a worried mother was something that tugged at the heart.

"_Kotori-chan let's go," _rang the voice of Kousaka Honoka who practically began dragging her and bluenette, Sonoda Umi out of the room.

Ayase Eri and Tojou Nozomi were left to handle the barely stable Niko who was still feeling heavy from all the sweets.

"_Come on Niko, get up." _The Russian descendent said as she assisted Niko by holding up one side and Nozomi holding the other, only to realize, Niko's feet were no longer touching the ground.

"_Lemme go! This ain't a comedy act, you two!"_ Niko yelled struggling yet still feeling queasy.

Meanwhile, Kotori was in the bus with the two childhood friends of hers. They sat down exhausted from the events of the day.

"_Once more, happy birthday Kotori,"_ Umi said to Kotori congratulating her once more.

Kotori smiled and thanked her once again.

'_So I'm seventeen now.' _Kotori thought realizing another year of her life had passed.

A lot had happened since April, within the lapse of five months, she, Honoka and Umi managed to form a school idol group with their seniors and junior as well as shoot several music videos as well as, designed several outfits.

'_Outfits huh?'_ Kotori thought as she recalled about her flight that she skipped on.

She was supposed to be at a fashion boarding school overseas until the end of high school. She decided to stay at Otonakizaka Academy however, at times she would ponder back at the possibility of learning fashion design especially since other than her senior, Niko, she was the one in charge of designing and making the various outfits for μ.

'_It's not like I regret being a school idol but, is there a chance for me to learn fashion design again?'_ Kotori wondered as suddenly she felt a pat on her shoulder.

"_Spacing out, Kotori? It's your stop already,"_ Umi informed her, waking her up from her daydreaming state.

"_Ah, bye-bye!"_ She waved at her two friends after chuckling at her absentminded moment running out the bus with haste.

As she continued the trip back home on foot, she began humming a song. It was a song only she knew, she had never told anyone on this song as it seemed to be quite a depressing song unlike her personality and she did not want other to worry about her.

"_The light of the night which watches over the leaves as they travel in the wind_

_Where are you, now?" _Her voice slowly was faded by the breeze that blew yet she kept on singing.

It was strange, her mind drifted from thought after thought yet, she never did feel like she reached a point where she felt it was the memory she was looking for.

She decided to drop the matter, overthinking on matters was one of her bad habits. She recalled when writing _'Wonderzone'_, she needed to be in a comfortable environment like the café she worked at or perhaps in bed with her reliable partner, her yellow soft pillow.

As she opened the door to her home, she let out a bright smile.

'_Today has been a good day, why end it with such sad thoughts?'_ she wondered to herself as she prepared for a good soak in the bathtub.

The skies had fully turned black with only the moon and stars in the background. It was just past 9pm.

"_Damn, old geezer, you hit hard," _Kazuma said as he lifted his squirming body off the ground.

'_Stubborn youngster,' _Yamato thought as his breathing still remained normally unlike his grandchild who was practically panting for his life.

Yamato had learnt swordplay at least three times longer than Kazuma had lived, even if his grandchild were to fight him on the day before his deathbed, there was still no chance of success, yet he stood up again. The youngster took his stance again and kept at it.

"_Tell me, is Minami's grandchild worth you getting hurt this bad?" _The old man asked, parrying every single hit that came.

"_Her name is Kotori, you old geezer, remember that well. Is it worth? If it means that she does not have to be forced into a random marriage when she turns eighteen and get her life turned upside-down, then yes, even broken bones are worth it."_ Kazuma yelled fully throwing respect out of the window and letting out his inner feelings.

'_Normally this match would have been over a long time ago, however this isn't a match of point but a match of wills, even I the referee cannot interfere anymore,'_ thought Azuma whom viewed the match and engraved it into his mind through the windows of his two chocolate pupils.

Yamato had taken down his beloved grandchild again, yet he stood up once more even with shaky footing and a few dislocated joints, his body must have been screaming in pain. The balding old man, brought down his sword.

Kazuma who was ready to fight back even if it meant being taken down again was surprised at the current event taking place right now. He simply bowed and sat down back on his knees. Yamato simply paced back and forth.

"_You will never win against me, not physically at least. I admit it, your resolve got through."_ Smoke came released from a pipe as he added on, _"Minami Kotori huh? You don't want the engagement to be forced right? What if she fell in love with you before that?"_

Kazuma was stunned, he could not say a word, he did not even notice that his father had sat just right beside him.

"_You have three choices: Let things flow as they are and let her find out on the engagement at eighteen years of age, somehow get her to love you and follow through getting married mutually or convince on her side of the family to annul the engagement."_ His grandfather suggested to him as he opened the dojo door.

'_I can do that?'_ Kazuma thought in a daze, he had never considered the option of possibly getting Kotori to open her heart to him but from a stranger to a lover and with her duties as a school idol and student, there were a lot of hurdles. Not to mention, if he were to choose annulling, he would have to go against the people of the Minami family that were in favour of her getting engaged to him.

"_Dinner's probably cold by now, but let's eat," _the burly Azuma said as he gave his son a helping hand in getting up from his currently injured condition.

"_Thanks dad," _the son responded with respect back in his words before turning to his grandfather and adding his honest apology, _"Sorry for calling you an old geezer, grandfather."_

'_Whatever decision you make now is in your hands, Kazuma,'_ thought the old man as the three generations of Matsuo went to grab a meal after such a tense night.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun had not risen yet, the ash-brown haired Kotori was already awake. She took a quick shower and changed into her training clothes, the members of μ's at the shrine where they were to begin their morning training. She yawned as she placed on her shoes and began jogging towards the inn.

'_The breeze is so calming today,'_ Kotori thought innocently as she sped up her pace.

Making her way up the stairs initially was hard but after the many weeks of climbing up and down, she had gotten used to it.

The air felt fresher for some reason today and her mood was at its peak. She never did find out what memory she wanted to recall was however she was not going to let that ruin her mood plus, today was a rare day off from work as Minalinsky.

Seeing the half-asleep face of Honoka and the strong-willed Umi as well as the rest of the members of μ's, they sped off into training, working up a good sweat before school was to begin. Their last spurt was to dash to school and claim the showers and change into their uniforms, shortening the time needed for them to tend to their daily needs.

"_Kotori-chan, today you seem really into it,"_ pointed out Honoka who beamed a smile as usual, tossing Kotori her usual ribbon.

"_I just feel more pumped up today," _She responded with a smile, adjusting her hair into its usual style.

"_Kotori's mood is kinda like a maiden in love,"_ Ayase Eri teased as she tied her hair into a pony tail.

The rest of μ's with the exception of the emerald eyed Nozomi and the red haired Diva, Maki began to overreact to the simple tease and began flooding Kotori with questions such as _'Who's the lucky guy?'_ and _'When did this happen, Kotori?'_ only for the person in question to deny it all with a nervous laugh wondering how things could go out of control with just a simple word.

'_Still, romance huh?'_ wondered the amber eyed girl as she left the girl's locker room and headed to class.

For most part of the lessons in school, Kotori was above average in her grades so she really was not one to lose concentration easily however, today was different. She just could not bring herself to understand what was written on the board. She took out her notebook and began penning down. Normally it was new costume designs for the group. Today she just felt stuck at the term _'Maiden in love'_ used by Eri earlier that day and needed to get it out of her system.

'_What does it feel like to be in love? What sort of costume would that look like?'_ Kotori wondered as her hand moved absentmindedly.

She just drew whatever her hand felt like, there was no intention of making the costume nor was there a reason for her to draw it but she did and it was slowly taking shape.

The image in her head was that loving someone meant to feel something mysterious yet at the same time feeling free. Perhaps it suited her name, a young bird experiencing love could take up high to the skies above.

'_Take to the skies? Wings?'_ She thought as at the edges of the top, she added wings, white wings that were small yet seemingly large enough for a person to slowly take flight.

Only when she heard the bell ring for lunch, she realized she had spent the whole of the lesson penning down her thoughts. It was going to be hard catching up on Chemistry however, she was sure she could catch up if she referred to Umi's notes.

'_Hope I don't get lectured too hard by Umi-chan,' _she thought as she asked the person in question for her notes.

"_It's rare you space out in class, really, is anything the matter?"_ The blunette asked her friend, deeply concerned for the sudden change in her.

"_Nah, it's nothing, don't worry Umi-chan." _Kotori said trying to ease her friend but she did not realize the brunette Honoka, had crept up to her seat.

"_Umi-chan, she's been penning something the whole lesson," _Honoka said taking the book off the table and flipping the pages.

Kotori became flustered for some reason, it was nothing to hide but she just tried to get the book away from Honoka who simply dodged and flipped the pages.

She placed the book down and it was revealed, a picture of a costume. It was fairly simple. It consisted of a short skirt malachite green in tone with white trim slight above her knees, it matched with a short sleeve white top that covered up to her belly button as well as a malachite green blazer with white wings on the back.

'It's different from her usual designs,' Umi noted however, she could not deny that it was something that seemed ethereal about the design.

"_Kotori-chan, nice design,"_ Honoka said as she gave a thumbs up approving of the design of the outfit.

"_Ee-Ehh?!"_ came the confused reaction of Kotori, as suddenly she felt a vibration from her pocket.

"_Meet me in my office now, you'll be excused from classes," _was the message sent from her mother to her cellphone.

'_Two days in a row? This is getting strange.'_ Kotori found it odd yet she apologized to her friends for not having lunch with them and left as fast as she could, wondering what could her mother have in store for her today.

She arrived in the office within a matter of minutes. After knocking, she entered only to see the same guy she saw yesterday. He left his seat once more and made his way to the sofa. The amber eyed girl noticed he was walking somewhat awkwardly.

"_Are you injured?" _ She asked aloud, taking the guy by surprised, he suddenly seemed flustered as he looked away while nodding.

'_Was he just shy yesterday?'_ She wondered as she walked a bit closer wondering where it hurts.

"_Don't worry about it, it's just my legs and my ribs, nothing serious,"_ He said nervously laughing as he walked out the door.

'_What a strange guy, but… He doesn't seem like a bad guy,' _she thought as she finally took her seat to discuss with her mother on what she wanted.


	4. Chapter 4

'_Ugh, why did I act like such an idiot?'_ Kazuma thought bitterly as he stepped outside of the Principal's office.

There were no toilets to freshen up for men so he had to go to the sports training grounds and use the taps there to wash his face. He had many strange stares from both teachers and students alike, no surprise considering it was an all-girls school and there he was a male in the midst of all the women.

'_Ugh, being stared at by many judgmental women feels like I'm some kind of criminal,'_ he thought as he washed his face with the cooling water.

It was a refreshing feeling to feel the cold water splashed against his flaming red cheeks. He took deep breaths and made sure he was calm. He honestly felt that the amber eyed girl's voice and concern was much more dangerous than his grandfather with a blade. He walked unsteadily back, his ribs and legs still aching despite having applied traditional medicine and being massaged by his father which admittedly relieved him of much of his pain.

'_Still, I did not expect Haruko-san to ask me to carry out that task,'_ Kazuma thought as his mind flashed back to several hours back when he reached Otonakizaka in the morning slightly after classes had started.

He had stepped into the Principal's office for the second time that week. It was odd seeing as how it was not even his school.

"_Dressed neatly as always, huh?"_ Haruko teased the boy seeing him in a black blazer that was unbuttoned with a pair of white trousers.

He gave off a friendly smile. He knew she meant no ill intentions by that comment however he would admit that he was used to wearing such clothing as he had attended many events with his father since young as the young heir to Matsuo business. After all, they could not live off a dojo that did not have any students.

"_Good morning to you, Haruko-san," _he bowed as he took his seat.

Other than Haruko-san and a few other clients, his part-time job due to his experience in martial arts was one of a bodyguard. Most of the time he did not even require to talk, all he needed was to stand beside the person or let the person freely socialize however when things seem dangerous, he would intervene.

'_This boy is far too stiff,'_ Haruko thought as her eyes narrowed and her body language turned into intimidation.

"_I'll be headed to the sister branch in Russia, however there is a party for the youths of the stakeholders of this school, basically Kotori will be attending and I want you to guard her,"_ She explained the situation before the dark chocolate eyed teen clearly.

"_Acknowledged, might I ask though, are you for or against the engagement?"_ Kazuma asked being direct with her.

He saw that Haruko-san was massaging her temples. Perhaps she herself was feeling confused. He wondered how she viewed him as. Was he reliable enough that she trusted him with the protection of her daughter? Or is it that, it so happened that he had experience in this line? Regardless, all he had to do was protect her.

'_Would this be troubling to Kotori?'_ He thought as he wondered what it must have felt to have a stranger alongside you to an event.

After quite a moment of silence, Haruko responded.

"_I love my daughter, I want her to be happy. I even allowed her to stay in the school with her friends in the school idol team despite her having a promising chance in an overseas boarding school for fashion."_ She explained as such leaving an abstract image of how she felt.

"_A mother's love, something I have not experienced, yet the sacrifices you made must have been quite a lot," _He inquired at the situation for he never felt such a complex emotion for most of his clients simply wanted him to guard them with his life.

Haruko's eyes softened. She looked at him like she pitied an abandoned child. No, the look felt different from pity, was it concern? He mentally noted the Minami women had eyes that were pure.

"_I'll ensure nothing happens to your angel, but won't it be odd if she had a bodyguard amongst the many people that come? Perhaps, instead of a bodyguard, my role would be subtly different?"_ He asked somehow his cheeks turned a light shade of red.

'_Sly, yet reasonable,'_ Haruko thought seeing through his intentions.

"_You're free to regard this as a date with my daughter, as a faux partner,"_ She agreed with a smile while shaking her head, as a sign of how she seemed to be reeled into agreeing.

'_A date?!' _Kazuma wondered unable to decipher and keep calm once he heard the term being used.

As if on cue, Kotori entered then.

His flustered self could not handle any more stimulation to his already overheated brain. He tried to make his way to the sofa, visibly limping.

'_Shit, I'm a nervous wreck,'_ He thought as suddenly, he was asked by the amber eyed beauty, whether he was injured.

He could not react to the question. No rather than that, he could not let her worry. He tried to come up with an excuse but only for the worst possible thing to come out.

"_Don't worry about it, it's just my legs and my ribs, nothing serious,"_ He said nervously laughing as he walked out the door, mentally scolding himself.

'_Thinking of it, by now, Haruko-san would have fully informed Kotori on the situation, wait does that mean she referred to it as a d-date?'_ He mentally stammered, slapping himself physically to get over the shock.

He stepped into the room once more, only to see two pairs of amber eyes looking at him.

'_Those eyes really are like reflecting their purity,' _Kazuma thought as he silently took his seat on the couch, still limping.

He looked again as the teenage girl's gaze did not leave him.

"_Mom, is that the reason why he's been visiting the school lately?"_ Kotori asked, her gaze not leaving him.

'_Reason? Did Haruko-san mention on the engagement?'_ He wondered quite confused on the situation.

"_For him to be a faux date, he needed to understand how you acted in school, so well, for you to understand him, you have to be with him for a period of time isn't that right, Kazuma?" _Haruko said as she subtly gave him a wink for him to agree.

He simply nodded, still not understanding the situation.

"_Alright but for today and the night of the event only, I'll abide by your wishes, Mom,"_ Kotori sighed as she turned to look at the mother.

Kazuma felt a vibration in his right pocket of his trousers. It was his phone and he pulled it out only to see a message from Haruko-san which stated that she convinced Kotori to go out on two dates with him, one later after school so that during the night they seem more like a couple than two awkward teenagers and one on the event itself.

The ponytailed teen swore by the swords that hung in his room, his brain had turned to mush and his face was a bright red far more so than the core of the sun.

'_Haruko-san, isn't this a sudden change of the plan?!'_ He thought before panicking mentally on how to react to the situation.

He calmed himself down. The bell then rang, signalling that Kotori had to return to class. He struggled to speak however he simply said what was on his mind.

"_Minami-san, despite this being somewhat uncomfortable for you, I hope you shall enjoy both outings and rest assured, I shall protect you with my life," _came his honest words however mentally he felt like he had just proposed to her and mentally felt like jumping onto the couch and scream his lungs out.

He was glad his body remained rational as for that one moment, he noticed one thing. It was not concern for his injuries but her eyes seemed to waver and a faint blush on her face followed by a shy nod before she left the room.


	5. Chapter 5

''_I shall protect you with my life', how was I to respond to that?__' _Kotori thought as her reddened face easily gave away that something was wrong.

She walked back to class slowly decreasing her pace to give her more time to think things thorough. Her mind was in disarray. She wondered what sort of expression she had on her face. Was she blushing so obviously that the public could tell? She was worried as she knew that Honoka and Umi would easily be able to tell and the endless pouring of questions would start. She had nothing to hide technically as it was a faux date but still to be addressed in such a manga-like manner really threw her off her pace.

Kotori fiddled with her hair, twirling it in circles. She walked in the hallways which were empty as teachers were busy with classes and the students themselves were in the classes thus with the exception of perhaps the groundskeepers, she was alone. She counted she would reach class within another two minutes of walking yet that distance seemed like forever.

'_What's wrong with me?'_ She wondered to herself as she began twiddling her fingers together, moving her fingers away from her hair.

She recapped back yesterday in her mind. There really was nothing much that was different other than the fact that she had her birthday celebration with the members of μ's and that she had received two presents from her mom.

'_Well it was the first time I met that guy, thinking of it mom never did mention his name,'_ Kotori found herself thinking back to the male whom was still in the Principal's office.

She found his sense of dressing quite odd. It was not something that most teenagers would wear, sure wearing a coat in the middle of autumn was normal to prevent himself feeling cold but there were other things that he could have worn other than a business-like coat.

'_Outfits, thinking of it, I never once designed male clothing,'_Kotori's sudden realization at her thinking of her faux date made her shake her head rapidly hoping it would rid her of such thoughts.

After shaking her head, she found herself right outside her classroom.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, the amber eyed girl stepped forth.

She apologized for being late and explained that she had to see the Principal. She was excused and headed back to her seat. Her seat was the second seat to the right of the windows. It was smacked right in the center of the class.

It was only moments later a note from her seat neighbor, Honoka came delivered onto her table top.

"_Kotori-chan, your face is red, caught a fever?"_

The message gave away the fact that Kotori was really not one to pull off a poker face. She smiled to Honoka and torn the unused part of the note into two and sent one message to Honoka and one to Umi, she informed them that there was something she had to inform the two and that when they know, it was something to be kept secret from the rest of the members of μ's as it was a personal matter.

'_There's no need to hide it from Honoka-chan and Umi-chan, they'll understand,' _Kotori thought in a sing-song tone in her head as the minutes passed by quickly as her brain could not process much of what was being taught in class.

The moment class ended, she could see hordes of people leaving the class with haste, however for Kotori, it was more similar to interrogation or perhaps even judgment time as the two friends of her dragged their seats to her table.

'_Well, here goes nothing,' _the ash-brown haired teen braced herself as she readied the truth for her friends to hear.

"_I can't attend today's practice later… I have something on," _Kotori began explaining the situation to them with the most obvious matter to start with, her attendance on after school practice.

"_Does this have anything to do with your job as Minalinsky?"_ Umi inquired thinking if it was work related stress.

Kotori shook her head. This next part was the hard part, it was the point of conversation where none of them have talked about before despite their long friendship: A date, faux date to be precise considering it was a matter of coming out to actually looking like a couple at the event however, a date nonetheless.

"_I… have a d-date,"_ Kotori stammered trying to get the words out right.

It was as though time stood still as she saw that Honoka's shimmering blue eyes widen and Umi's expression turned similar to how she was when _'Dark Umi'_ like she was disturbed while sleeping at the training camp.

"_Does this relate with the frequent visits you had with the Principal these two days?"_ Umi questioned in a somewhat irked tone yet her mind remained rational on the situation.

Kotori immediately nodded in fear of Dark Umi.

"_Mom's gonna be attending a talk at a sister school overseas, so I gotta attend this event and well to make sure I'm safe mom hired a bodyguard to pose as a couple,"_ Kotori explained making sure that she did not leave out any details.

"_So technically it isn't a date, it's just an act?"_ Honoka questioned using whatever bit of concentration she had left from the long lessons and sudden shock due to Kotori's announcement.

Kotori nodded once more yet her face turned a shade of red when she recalled what happened before she left the office.

Umi had calmed down back to her normal state and her face from anger turned into worry.

"_Are you sure you can trust the guy?"_ Umi asked suddenly realizing that Kotori trusted the person however, was he worth her trust?

"_Ehh?"_

That was Kotori's response. She was unsure why. Maybe it was because he was a hired bodyguard or perhaps the way he said he'd protect her with his life that she felt she could trust him however, it was true that she knew next to nothing about him.

"_This girl really…"_ Umi facepalmed herself at how her childhood friend was so trusting, especially around a male.

"_Ehehe, Kotori-chan don't forget to kiss and tell,"_ Honoka teased trying to ease the mood but suddenly both Umi and Kotori turned a shade of red as mental images of Kotori kissing a guy popped into both their heads.

"_T-T-That's not gonna happen!" _Kotori stammered as she denied it with all her might.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the class door. The three of them wondered who could it be considering the fact that most people would simply enter and slide the door open.

Kotori's eyes widened like saucers. It was him. He had changed his clothes and apparently was panting however, it was him. The girls understood immediately from Kotori's action who the guy was.

"_Forgive me for disturbing your conversation, Minami-san however it was past the time to meet at the office, I… got kinda… worried,"_ the older teenager said averting his eyes from meeting the three girls.

'_He seems really uncomfortable, no wait before that, worried?! Is a bodyguard supposed to feel worried?!'_ Kotori's mind went into overdrive trying to understand the situation before them.

Honoka's sapphire eyes and Umi's chocolate brown ones simply stared at the target.

Kotori was wondering if they were intentionally making him nervous or was he simply trying to act aloof?

"_Relax, okay? Take a seat and introduce yourself to them" _Kotori suggested trying to mediate the situation.

She saw him flash a nervous smile. It was a sign that he felt somewhat at ease, or at least that was what Kotori felt his body language sent her.

She saw him take a seat at the furthest corner from the class. All three pairs of eyes laid upon him as he cleared his throat.

"_Firstly, my name is Matsuo Kazuma, currently a faux partner for Minami-san and well assigned to guard her and well I hope you two shall trust me when I say, I'll protect her," _Kazuma made his introduction shocking the two girls that were with Kotori.

'_He may feel uncomfortable, but I guess that resolve of his, is what makes it comforting,'_ Kotori thought to herself understanding the reason why she felt she could trust him.

His words were believable as they held firm resolve. She had the feeling he was the type to do what he says and stick to it.

Kotori looked at the expression of her friends.

They seemed to be surprised, no in shock. No, even more than that, they seemed to be pleased.

"_Kotori, if anything do contact us,"_

"_Kotori-chan fight!"_

Those were the two responses of her friends as they took their leave, leaving the two teenagers in class alone.

Kotori fiddled with her hair with one hand, quite unsure what to do when suddenly she saw Kazuma step up beside her. He suddenly knelt before her on one knee.

'_W-What's he doing?!'_ Kotori really could not predict his though pattern, he really was an eccentric person.

The gesture that followed after was cliché, it was so cliché that it might have been ripped straight out of an olden Shakespeare play or from a modern day manga however, it still took her by surprise, he planted a kiss on back of her hand lightly near her fingers.

"_Shall we go, Minami-san?"_ He gently suggested as he stood back up.

Kotori felt somewhat annoyed at his joyful expression as she stepped back not in fear but in embarrassment.

"_K-Kotori, you can call me Kotori, I mean a couple address each other by name rather than being so formal." _ The confused girl mentioned trying to change the topic as she walked alongside him outside the class.

"_Feel free to call me Kazuma then, Kotori-chan," _

That was the response she received as they stepped out the school. It was cold and suddenly a coat was draped on her shoulders. It was the start of their date.


	6. Chapter 6

It was a surprise to be able to call Kotori by her name. Truly it was an unexpected development to be able to convince her friends that he had no ill intentions rather, he wished for the best for her. He walked alongside her somewhat smiling at the fact that his jacket was overwhelming large on her. The closest place on foot would be Akibahara though he was unsure whether she would be comfortable in a place where there were many guys. He had heard there were idol shops which sold goods on school idols and other merchandise however, avoiding there would be the best.

He saw her shivering slightly and a soft noise coming from her direction.

'_Wait, she went to the office during lunch time, could she be…'_ Kazuma thought filling in the blanks.

They had nearly reached the train station however, the pony tailed teen decided to make a U-turn, forcing his partner to follow him as well. He felt bad for making a U-turn however making a woman go hungry was against his aesthetics even more so on a date.

He could not find anything filling like rice balls or even hotdogs, so he settled for something sweet: Crepes.

'_I will never understand how these things are so expensive,'_ Kazuma thought as he ordered two cream cheese crepes.

"_You sure have a large appetite, Mat- Kazuma-kun," _Kotori said apparently trying to get used to speaking to a guy using his first name.

Kazuma found it cute on how she was trying to make herself used to something that she was not. It was similar to a young child boasting that he or she could eat vegetables with no problems only to cringe at the very taste of it.

"_Hmm? What do you mean? One of them is for you, Kotori-chan,"_ He feigned ignorance to the situation diverting the topic of food and making her the point of the conversation.

"_Ehh? It's fine! I can pay for my own plus I'm not that hungr-"_

The normally stoic faced teen broke into a huge smirk when he saw her stomach growl loudly as she tried to hide her blushing face.

'_Ahh! That was embarrassing.'_

Kazuma assumed that those were the thoughts of the girl who seemed confused on how to react other than by trying to shrink into a corner by hiding behind a pillar.

"_Relax, it's not like it's every day, I treat Kotori-chan to something, plus even if I did do it every day, it'd be worth not letting a woman go hungry,"_ Kazuma saying what was on his mind worrying mentally though how embarrassing it sounded.

The orders came almost soon after he responded. He turned his head away immediately ensuring Kotori does not see his confused state. Luckily for him, the slender teenage girl had moved away from the pillar and was slowly waking towards him. He passed her the crepe and they walked to a nearby bench and sat down. It was getting late and he really should remember to grab dinner as she had not had lunch and this crepe was mere snack not to mention, Kazuma himself also was feeling quite hungry.

'_Still, I wish there was something memorable to do, still I haven't decided on what the old geezer mentioned on,' _Kazuma thought as he started blankly as he munched down on the cheese filling.

He felt a sudden poking feeling.

He wondered if she had been poking him for some time, being lost in his thoughts and ignoring his surroundings was one of his more obvious signs of a lack of social skills.

"_Kazuma-kun, were you listening?"_

The voice of the little bird rang aloud, he clearly had not been listening and saw a flyer in her hand which was not there earlier.

"_Ah, sorry. I spaced out a little there, what's with the flyer?"_ He asked quite curious on what was the content.

She passed it over to him and he almost felt like there was divine intervention.

It was a flyer for the Tsukimi Festival, an event where people went to view the moon. During this time or rather more specifically tonight in itself was the time where the moon was the most beautiful. It was usually an event where it was private or at the very least, very few people came. It was held at a nearby shrine and the dress code was in kimonos.

'_It's a good idea but where are we to get the kimonos?' _Kazuma thought trying to rack his brains.

"_You really weren't listening were you?" _She puffed her cheeks in anger and irritation, making the pony tailed haired teen feel awkward, even more so than usual.

Somehow he felt pressured by her cuteness yet anger. He simply remained quiet. Surely a woman when angered was far more fearsome than anything he has faced over the years, even more so than dodging and parrying weapons at point blank range.

He noticed her sighed as she took the last bite out of the crepe.

"_There's a place to rent kimonos near the temple, it's a little secluded but I think we can get some if we get there before 8,"_

Kotori explained herself apparently for the second time, Kazuma was not sure if it was the second or third, he really was too deep in his own thoughts.

He looked at his wrist watch, it was 7.15pm. The shrine in itself was a short five minute walk from where they were, Kazuma focused and tried to recall the nearest place for a good meal. He decided to take another alternative as he could not think of any good places.

"_Kotori-chan, what kind of food, do you like to eat?"_

He inquired her tastes as it would be good to know more on her tastes as he basically forced the crepe onto her without knowing if she actually liked it or not.

He noted everything that came from her mouth, whether it was the detail of her liking cheesecake the best amongst all cakes to even her dislike of garlic. She seemed to be the type that enjoyed experimenting with different types of food, which he noted however she tried to avoid fast food, considering she was an idol, he found it quite fitting.

'_Well there goes the idea of fast foods,' _He thought as they began making way to the shrine.

He walked alongside her enjoying the cool breeze, they made their way up the stairs. Turning left instead of heading up to the shrine area itself, they headed into a small olden decorated shop, almost the size of a small house.

The smell of old oak and perfume was spread out through the shop. The shop was well furnished with different types of kimonos. They all seemed to be in pristine condition despite them being on rental.

'_Well they are loaning to enter a religious place, plus they are pricey,'_ Kazuma mentally slapped himself as he saw Kotori touching the different fabric and looking at the designs in awe.

Her expression was similar to that of a young child that saw a new toy of interest and could not wait to get their hands on it.

Kotori was obviously interested in fashion, one could tell from the outfits which she designed for the performances of the school idols. Kazuma only knew of it through Haruko-san mentioning that Kotori spent many nights designing and sewing different outfits for each of the members.

'_An airhead hard worker, what sort of combination is that?'_ Kazuma thought as he mentally slapped himself realizing he was a similar sort of person.

An attendant came for Kotori while a male one came to assist him. It was no surprise that there were different changing rooms for males and female but he really did not like how the male attendant was looking at the amber eyed girl.

They suggested designs for them and they went their separate ways to change.

Kazuma whom was used to wearing traditional clothing had not issues adjusting his clothes.

"_Kotori-chan… So beautiful…" _Kazuma had not even realized what his mouth had muttered as he laid eyes on her.

Perhaps he was too used to seeing her a cute teenage girl in her school uniform that by changing her hairstyle by letting down her hair and wearing a black kimono with butterfly designs around it really gave her a mature beauty feel.

'_I know the term, women mature faster than guys, but she's sixteen… Wait seventeen and this ravishing?!'_ Kazuma mentally screamed at himself trying to keep himself from speaking anymore that was on his mind.

He noticed Kotori's cheeks were somewhat red when she saw him gazing at her. Was it her first time someone other male other than her family seeing her in such clothing? She did go to an all-girls school, it might not have been farfetched for him to think that he was the first guy other than possibly her father to have seen her in traditional clothing.

'_Snap out of it, she may be your potential future wif- Wife?! You're going to annul the damned engagement, or are you? I mean if she does love you or grows to love you, then it's not a forced thing, plus you're already part of her life as a bodyguard,'_ Once again, Kazuma fell into the world of overthinking.

Kotori stepped up beside him and gave an uncomfortable smile. It was clear that in her uniform she could have regarded walking around the area with him as simply hanging out with a stranger or a friend however, the moment they changed clothes, the atmosphere became tense. Kazuma wondered if her heart was racing as fast as his was.

The awkwardness at least felt like it was tripled but when the male attendant tried to grab Kotori's hand, in a flash, Kazuma grabbed the man's wrist and put it into a lock. He immediately let it go realizing what he was doing was not even self-defense, it was simply an act of desire according to the mixed emotions he was feeling.

"_Ah forgive me for that, are you alright?"_ Kazuma said apologizing and bowed to the person who walked off in a huff.

'_Ugh, is this what they mean by jealousy?' _Kazuma thought bitterly about himself as he walked out the shop.

He suddenly felt a soft hand pat on his shoulder. He turned to see Kotori who gave him a comforting look. It was those eyes again. Those eyes were so pure that it seemed to confuse his already hazy train of thoughts.

The words that came out of her mouth was a huge surprise to the older teenager.

"_Thank you."_

Those words sent a jolt down his entire system.

It was a simple word of thanks. He had heard it a lot when helping his parents or his clients yet it felt so different.

The words that followed by next was

"_I don't really know anything about dating, since this is one of the rare times I'm out without any members of _μ's with me?_"_

Those were the words that came out in such a situation, it only served to make him wonder what was on her mind.

"_What do you feel on our… date though?"_

His mouth betrayed his mind, as he simply spoke what he thought.

"_I'm… not sure. I know one thing, I don't dislike you but that doesn't mean I like you in that sense. This date was for us to know each other better, yet we learnt almost nothing on each other."_

Her response was an expected one. This was not a dream-like scenario where people fall in love at first sight. One thing about what she said was wrong though, he had learnt a lot on Kotori.

"_I have learnt a lot on you actually, though what do you wish to know about me?"_

He replied back fully curious on what the questions that were going to be asked.

"_Tell me more on yourself, please."_

Of all the question he expected to come out, he did not expected himself to do a self-introduction or rather, an elaboration of himself. He expected more on the line of _"Why did you agree to the job?" _or_ "Why did you act so violently back there?"_

"_Alright, I'll tell you about myself but, let's head to the moon viewing site first?"_

He suggested to the amber eyed girl as they headed up. Their clothes were left in the rental area and he could see Kotori was freezing.

"_Shall we?"_

He offered his hand. She shook her head left then right, politely denying him.

He admitted perhaps he had gone a little too far with offering to hold her hand. His intentions were good but perhaps indeed he was trying to progress too fast.

They had reached the viewing area, there were less than thirty people, yet it was quite a number for the shrine, they walked up to a tree and took a seat on the soft patch of grass.

Her curiosity was apparent as he noticed she had walked faster than usual when heading to the viewing area as well as when sitting down.

Kazuma cleared his throat as he began to explain himself.

"_Well I-"_

"_Eh? Nozomi-chan?"_

He was interrupted by Kotori herself as her attention was diverted by someone else, fellow member of the group that Kotori was in, Tojou Nozomi who was in the distance.

'_Well she certainly stood out in her outfit, but well as Kotori and I blend in, we can sneak up on them, wait that guy is he-?'_

He thought that the guy seemed familiar and Kotori herself was curious. Avoiding suspicion, they slowly walked from their area only to sneak closer to see what was going on.

They hid amongst the people that were dressed in the traditional clothing and were at a good vantage point.

Kotori squinted her eyes trying to affirm it was her friend and she was quite surprised she was with a guy.

Kazuma gritted his teeth somewhat. He knew the guy that Nozomi was with. He simply prayed for the best for his friend who seemed to be using the event to his advantage.

They stood still and even their breathing was quiet as they began eavesdropping.

"The moon sure has its way to take the breath away from people with its beauty,"

The two identified the voice as Nozomi's. It somehow felt like something big was going to happen.

"_Yeah, I had forgotten to breathe for a moment, but if I had to choose between breathing and my feeling for you…"_

The tension rose as suddenly there was a pause.

"_I'd take my last breath just to say, 'I love you'."_

A confession.

A love confession had just taken place and the two of them were witness to it.

"_Shall we head back to our spot?" He questioned somewhat guilty for what he had just did._

Kotori immediately nodded her face turned several shades of red darker.

"_Love is an interesting thing isn't it? I mean love from a mother and a girlfriend must feel different?" _Kotori questioned to him trying to avoid the topic of the confession that took place.

"_I wouldn't really know, my mother died after giving birth to me, and well technically today is my first date,"_

He responded as lightly as he could yet he knew he would get the same look from her as he did with Haruko-san.

Those eyes looked at him with pity, no concern. Somehow these eyes were different from Haruko-san's. The mother looked at him as though she wished to console a child before her. The eyes that looked at him so innocently yet so kindly had a hint of sadness within in.

"_I'm sorr-"_

"_Don't apologize, please."_

He interrupted her apology. He disliked hearing that whenever he brought up the fact he had no motherly figure since young.

"_I may have lived differently from other people, having grown up with only my grandfather and father, however, I grew up knowing the value of love, I suppose."_

He responded to her with his back faced to her. It was going to take a while however, while his heart was in the mood to reveal what was hidden, other than the engagement, he'd spill whatever he wished to.

"_I grew up training daily since the age of 4 and was home schooled until I was able to go to middle school, during this time, I followed my dad on trips as a bodyguard, that's how I met your mom."_

He explained further not stopping what he felt like saying.

He did not know why yet he felt like pouring his heart out to her.

Was it because of the confession he had witnessed? Or was it because Kotori somehow broke his usual façade with her purity?

"_Honestly, I find that your relationship with your mother is beautiful, the bond you two have and the kindness that both women of the Minami family have is something I have not experienced before, it's very…warm and comforting."_

He couldn't get any more words out of his mouth. They were jammed right there. He began to turn around hoping that he had not had offended her with his words or maybe he had said too much and made her felt bored. He was confused on what to expect.

"_Don't turn back."_

The soft voice of Kotori came.

He felt his fingers entwined with something soft. It was Kotori's fingers. They were holding hands. She buried her face onto his back. He wasn't sure how to react. He could not even overthink as his mind was entirely blank.

"_I cannot relate with all that, it's too different for me to understand. I know one thing though, even if it is a faux date, you've opened up to me, so I'll trust you."_

Kazuma was sure his face was reddened. He was sure Kotori's was too. It was cold. It was too irritatingly cold that his breath was visible. There were things that felt warm that night though: Their hearts, their reddened cheeks and their entwined fingers locking their hands together.


	7. Chapter 7

Kotori wondered if anything was wrong with her. Was she being too naïve? Too trusting of someone whom she barely knew? A stranger yesterday yet, she was holding hands intimately with him today. Her face buried in the soft smooth material of his kimono. Their laced fingers did not move an inch and neither were their bodies.

'_It's strangely comfortable.'_

Kotori's mind simply felt that way. She did not know why. She could not tell why her heart felt at ease with such a person. Did she see him as somebody special? No, as of right now, she did not think she felt like the guy whom they saw confession. She did not have a strong emotional connection to the guy before her just yet.

She did not think she felt that way yet her body was acting differently. She was used to greeting and being nice to male customers when working as Minalinksy. She was used to performing in front of a large crowd while remaining calm and enjoying the moment. She however, felt something different when being so still and calm.

'_Why can't my heart slow down? It's beating so fast.'_

She could feel it. Her heartbeat was rapidly increased and her cheeks were red. Was her mind denying her of understanding that she may be fond of the person before her? She was unsure. She had heard some parts of him. The date was a faux date yet, wasn't he trying his best to make it a good one? If it was something like simply understanding her, he could have asked her mother or her directly in an office right?

A lot of thoughts went through her head. It could easily be gauged that the amber eyed girl was really different from normal. For one thing, she was more quiet that usual. She would admit that she wasn't as outspoken as her friend, Honoka. Barely saying a word unless needed was more along the lines of how her friend Umi would react.

'_What's wrong with me and how long has it been since we've been in this position?'_

Kotori was unsure whether the time had passed quickly and it was really late at night or these moments of her overthinking was making time seem so slow.

She felt his fingers moving their linked hands lower. His head peered up to the night sky. She still could not see his expression yet somehow she knew, he had calmed down.

"_Heh, the two just now mentioned breathtaking beauty of the moon right? I beg to differ, what's breathtaking is now, this heart racing feeling."_

He said that with a slight chuckle and Kotori understood the meaning of it.

It was something she also had never experienced before.

A quick beating in her chest yet despite her flushed cheeks and ever increasing heart rate, she felt calm. She felt that it was right for her to be there.

The tense moment suddenly dropped as both their stomachs grumbled in hunger.

The two burst into laughter. It was such an awkward moment but they had not had anything since lunch other than the crepe, it was only natural for them to get hungry.

"_Shall we grab a meal then?"_

She nodded to his offer as they made their way to the rental shop to change into their normal clothes.

Kotori did not have a curfew however going home late was something that she would prefer to avoid especially considering she had to work the next day. It was essential that she had her rest, after all seeing the maid Minalinsky having a poor mood would affect morale of the store as a whole.

They walked on to the train station and took the train for several stations. There was total silence the whole time however, one thing was different, the tension between them had eased down.

Kotori noticed they had alighted on the station where she would get off in order to head back home.

"_Hmm, Kazuma-kun, thinking of it where do you live?"_

She questioned him curious as to know whether he lived in the area as she had never seen him before in neither the shopping district nor the areas nearby.

He scratched his head, Kotori wondered if that meant he was unsure on how to reply or whether she would like his reply. He turned towards her and began to speak.

"_I live about 4 stops away from here by train and well my school dormitory at times when I have practice with my teammates."_

"_Teammates?"_

She was surprised at the words. Could 'teammates' have referred to a group of bodyguards he worked with? Apparently her shocked expression was noted as the onyx eyed male began to chuckle.

"_Dance practice, dance."_

He muttered walking forward as the amber eyed girl began to follow his back.

The walk went on with him explaining details on a group that she had never heard of: World Order.

If he had not had explained that world order was a dance group, she surely would have thought a bunch of men in suits were taking over the world, to her surprise however, it was close to the truth. The main outfit of World Order group was indeed suits and the actual team went all over the world making music videos.

She found it fascinating but what she found more interesting was the various expressions on his face. She could see his expressions change from joy as he mimicked some of the steps to cringing in fear recalling the endless hours of practice without break from his leader as he detailed it all out for her.

They soon reached a small family restaurant. It was a place where she ate quite a lot before considering it was close to her home.

It was a cozy place, sure enough there were children eating their meals with their parents and zooming waiters and waitresses. She saw a child that was dashing across the restaurant falling down and crying. As though on reflex, she dashed off to the child taking out a band-aid from her bag and checking if the child was okay. She assisted the child up and carried the young girl to her parents.

She then took her seat to which Kazuma had sat down while she was helping the child.

"_You really are a kind-hearted young woman, Kotori-chan."_

Those words that came out of his mouth took her by surprise. Rather than his usual over the top statements that seemed exaggerated, his words seemed to show he no longer felt the need to be so formal with her. He was supposed to be a faux date in the event in the near future thus, it was good to hear the lessening of formality.

"_No I'm not, anybody would have done the same, I mean protecting a young child is the way to do things right?"_

She questioned back to him, wondering how he would respond however, he simply kept quiet and ordered the meal for them both, once again insisting that he would foot the bill. She wondered why he kept quiet but asking him now would likely not be a wise decision.

She ate her meal of omelette rice and lemon tea in peace. A waitress then passed another plate to her. It was a slice of cheesecake. She did mention earlier that it was her favourite but for Kazuma to pay for all the food must have cost a pretty penny. She felt bad and suggested to pay half but was sternly denied.

'_What a stubborn guy.'_

She found out yet another trait to the ponytailed teen. He was stubborn as a bull when it came down to something he had willed himself to do. She sighed yet when she took a bite of the cake, she began to squeal in joy. Her mood lightened instantly as the sweet taste of the cheesecake swirled inside her mouth. Her taste buds loved the feeling of the smooth yet sweet cake.

She found a smirk plastered on Kazuma's face as she suddenly woke up from her dazed state.

"_Don't mind me, keep flashing that smile."_

She blushed as she rushed in eating the rest of the omelette.

"_Stop teasing me like that."_

"_I'm not, I honestly find a smile like that a gem. Somehow whom is able to express themselves like that is something very rare."_

She wondered what it was like to live without a mother. She tried to imagine it but it was too sad just to picture, he apparently noticed her expression as he waved a fork at her face.

"_What did they add to that cake if you're spacing out so much?"_

He chuckled somewhat as he tried to ease her mood. They finished up eating and the duo began walking towards the direction of Kotori's house.

'_Is he going to invite himself in?'_

She wondered as she walked on up to the gates of her house. Today had been quite a long day, from the tension she had from informing Honoka and Umi on the situation to her finding out about Kazuma not having a mother and his background and even her sudden take over that made them held hands, her mind being in a fluster was not all too much of a surprise. It was a long and eventful day.

She opened the gate and stepped in only for her hand to be held and yanked back as suddenly she was embraced.

"_It's kinda unfair if you're the only one who hugged me right? So I'll do the same. Kotori-chan, do you feel the same crazily fast heartbeat I feel?"_

She couldn't even stammer. Amongst all the things that have occurred today, this had to be the most intense. Wait, did he just say 'crazily fast heartbeat'? Did he feel this awkward feeling that she had too?

"_I'm not sure how I feel, as I said earlier, for now we're no more than strangers on a faux date, but… I do feel my heart racing at times."_

She responded honestly, not hugging back yet not pushing him away.

She expected to see a sad face but as his expression came into view there was a smile on it instead.

"_Good night then, Kotori-chan, rest well."_

Those were his parting words as he slowly let go of his embrace and walked off into the night.


	8. Chapter 75

He had walked off back to the station. Today had been such a long day. He had so many things to think about if he were to write an essay, it might have ended up as long as a novel. As he passed the gates after tapping his pass, his phone began to ring.

'_Ugh, Shun huh? I do owe him for getting me these clothes from the shop. It was no easy task to get these.'_

His mood turned somewhat sour as he picked up the phone and saw who was calling him. A member of Team World Order as well his junior in school, Shun was a reliable guy who despite being stoned most of the time, underestimating him would be a fatal mistake, he did not have physical abilities or talent in martial arts but his way of manipulating the situation to better suit his needs was next to none.

"_What is it, Shun?"_

His answer was direct and simple. When it came down to Shun, other than practice changes ordered by the captain, their conversations were usually short and efficient.

_"Ka-san, remember the deal we made this morning for getting your outfit from the shop?"_

The ponytailed teen took off his hairband as he alighted from the train. He could have sworn that Shun was smirking like the devil incarnate. He did not dislike him but he knew if there were two sides to him, he should keep them in check. Regardless, the more time he spent on the phone, the more time he had to talk to the guy.

"_What about it? You want cash or something?"_

He immediately responded in a harsh tone which he would never use around a woman or client.

"_A meal at the legendary maid café."_

He muttered a quick okay as he knew the café he spoke of was located in Akibahara. He had no qualms with that. A simple meal should set him back about another 2000 yen. It was pricey but making today successful was worth it, after all, wearing a full suit and trousers would have been far too attention grabbing. Furthermore, he had something to discuss to the mochi loving devil.

He reached home and immediately headed into his room. He turned down the meal cooked by the servants as he was far too full and felt more in need of time to think. He jumped onto bed, throwing aside his coat and shirt leaving himself in a singlet and long pants.

He wondered what on Earth took over him when he had hugged Kotori, right in front of her house no less. He had no reason to do so and his words were something unlike him, he was… open towards her.

"_Kotori-chan…"_

Her name softly escaped his lips. He was neither rejected nor accepted however he had learnt that he had at least moved her heart. Perhaps he could go all the way with her and get her as his wife without having her finding out on the forced engagement.

'_What sort of simulation dating game am I thinking of?!'_

He sighed. He heard a knock on the door. He did not wish to answer, not while he was in his current state of mine.

"_Grandson, open up already, it's me."_

The voice of his grandfather, Yamato rang. He could not be disrespectful to someone who was both his kin as well as his swordplay master. He put on a t-shirt and opened the door narrowly avoiding a sneak attack.

"_Good, even when your mind is flooded with thoughts, you're still alert."_

His grandfather always had been a sneaky one. Deep in thought however meant that he understood that Kazuma was different from his usual self.

"_Minami's grandchild?"_

He simply questions to which Kazuma nodded. He never knew how older people had such intuition when it came down to such things. Despite not having said that out loud, Yamato explained to him that Kazuma's father was the same way when younger. Yamato simply advised to not overthink and simply to trust what he felt as, he was old enough to make his own decisions, whether it succeeds on not, depended entirely on his resolve. The old man then left the room.

'_Resolve huh? Perhaps I have been a little hasty, this isn't a game after all. I cannot rush things. Yet, am I to null the engagement or am I to make her fall in love with me? Does it even matter? I already know what I feel.'_

Those were Kazuma's final thoughts as he fell asleep for the night before awakening to the Saturday morning sun.


	9. Chapter 8

It was 2pm in the afternoon. The soft sunbeams passed through the windows of the café. Minami Kotori or better known while working as Minalinsky was cheery as always. The morale was high and the customers were all enjoying their meals. She smiled happily knowing that she was able to bring happiness to others. Her mind drifted back to the scenes of last night. A hint of red spread across her face as she recalled how she was suddenly hugged right in front of her house. She was really glad that her parents did not see the awkward situation. She shook off the thoughts as she heard the bell attached to the door ring, signaling that customers had arrived. She took a menu from the counter and proceeded to the door.

"_Welcome back, Master.__"_

She greeted in the traditional manner of a maid café with a smile that was one of the few traits that defined the legendary maid of Akibahara, Minalinsky. She almost dropped the menu when she was it was the same ponytailed teenager she had went out with yesterday. Matsuo Kazuma had entered the café.

He clearly was in surprise too as she noted his expression immediately changed. It was however not the time to react in such a familiar manner with a customer. She noticed a second guy with him.

"_A table for two?"_

She asked carrying out her role as a maid to her fullest. He simply nodded in response.

"_Let me guide you to your seats then."_

She guided him along to a non-smoking table for two people. Along the way, she heard comments from the person that Kazuma was with saying _"Ka-san, you're acting strange, lovestruck?"_

It was surely a comment just to joke around however with him not denying it made Kotori even more off pace than she was earlier. After letting them sit down, she excused herself to grab them cold water as they thought of their orders.

"_So, Ka-san is she the one?"_

She could hear his voice from the other end of the café, she really wondered if he was speaking that loudly on purpose. It was going to be a bother to the other customers if the person continued speaking so loudly. She walked on over with the water with every intention to ask the person to quiet down only to be beaten to it.

"_Shun, keep your volume down, it's disrespectful."_

"_Alright, alright. I get it."_

That was the exchange of the two teenage guys. She then realized that the guy Kazuma was with was the same guy who confessed to Nozomi. She had not seen the purple haired senior of hers since sneaking up on her late last night.

"_Have you decided on your order?"_

She asked them as there were other customers to attend to, she had to be swift especially during this rush hour where customers coming in the dozens were no surprise.

"_An omelette fried rice and lime juice."_

Both of them responded almost immediately. Were they close? Or was it merely a coincidence? She seemed to be caring too much on a personal friendship between them. After all, in the current pretense, she was a waitress and they were her customers. Whatever interpersonal relationship they may have outside, mattered not so she should not be so curious as to what they were talking about.

"_Right away, I shall return shortly. Any request for the design of the ketchup drawing?"_

The guy called Shun simply said to surprise him while the ponytailed haired teen seemed to be thinking hard as somehow his face turned a quick shade of red.

"_A self-portrait."_

She looked away immediately. What was he trying to imply? She walked off giving the order to the cook as she went off to serve other customers that had just entered.

'_He didn't seem to know that I worked here. Is it a coincidence?'_

She greeted and escorted the customers to their seats. They were regulars and thus Kotori immediately got their orders out to the cook.

Suddenly her hand was caught by one of the customers. It was the regular she normally served.

"_Minalinsky, are you okay? You don't seem as happy as you usually are."_

She wished to scream. Unlike the warmth she felt yesterday, chills began to be felt down her spine. There were clear rules against harassing maids however, there were people like him from time to time who feel they are an exception.

Suddenly, the sound of a chair fiercely being dragged quickly was heard and a customer stood up.

"_Yo ! How many years has it been, man?"_

The overly familiar tone came from the ponytailed teen. The guy called Shun simply had a smirk on his face as he saw Kotori held back her scream.

Kazuma walked closer in an almost frighteningly calm manner.

"_W-who are you?!"_

The regular bespectacled customer stammered. Kotori knew from that reaction. He did not know Kazuma at all. This act was part of something else. The guy's grip tightened causing a small squeal coming from Kotori. Kazuma's right hand swung around the neck of the guy, putting him in almost hug-like position while softly whispering something which only Kotori could hear.

"_Let's take this outside punk, read the bloody rules and don't pester her."_

Kotori was immediately released and the guy who was dragged outside immediately fled.

The manager had stepped out wanting to assist but apparently her job was over. Kotori was quite baffled. She had not seen him get angry like that however, she felt glad nothing happened. What happened after Kazuma stepped in however surprised her, she expected the manager to thank him for avoiding violence or helping to save her employee however she bore witness to him bowing to the manager for causing a ruckus.

"_Minalinsky, was it? Forgive me for causing such discomfort by bringing such hostile acts in the workplace."_

He said as he bowed to her as well.

'_Talking all formally like that, he really intends to act like a customer until the end. If that's the case…'_

Kotori thought as such as she tried to think of a response.

"_No problem, Master."_

She responded as such taking her leave as she attended to other customers.

The amber eyed teen had calmed down. Her discomfort from the customer had faded and she felt slight warmth from being saved, yet she also felt a slight feeling of… anger? She was not sure what it was but it did not feel right.

The bell chimed once more bringing in three very familiar faces.

The Yamato Nadeshiko of the group, Sonoda Umi. The fortunetelling planner, Tojou Nozomi and the orange haired cat-girl, Hoshizora Rin stepped into the café.

"_We came to play nya~"_

The energetic voice of the cat-girl rang as Kotori shifted her attention to them.

Coincidentally, the only table that could seat three people was right beside Kazuma's table.

"_Matsuo-san?"_

Kotori heard Umi's voice calling out for the ponytailed teenager. She felt a pang of anguish that swelled within her. She felt discomfort with her childhood friend talking to him. She felt it twice as much as he acknowledged her and gave a slight nod.

'_This… doesn't feel right.'_

Kotori thought as she went off to get the drinks for her friends as well the two omelette rice that were prepared for the guys.

When she came back, she saw that their seating order had changed, the guy called Shun was sitting opposite of Nozomi while Umi was seated beside Kazuma and Rin was opposite of the Yamato Nadeshiko.

She felt herself gripping onto the tray she had slightly firmer than before. Especially when she saw that Umi was engaging in a conversation with him, she realized what ominous feeling she had… It was jealousy.


	10. Chapter 10

The tightness in her chest did not fade after serving them. Rather, it felt like it got worse as she caught glimpses of Kazuma and Umi chatting away. Her amber eyes retained the spirit of a hard worker and she was able to manage during the long shift however, her mind rather, her heart was not in her work. Kotori could not focus however, by the time her shift ended, she noticed that the ponytailed teen was no longer there and in his seat was her idol-loving junior, Hanayo who had joined the group engaging in conversation with the orange haired cat-girl Rin.

She saw that the guy whom Kazuma was with, Shun had shifted to a single table with Nozomi. Her mind shifted slightly to the thoughts on what their relationship was, however when the word relationship came to mind, she drifted back on her thoughts of her bodyguard. He was an awkward person. After all, he spaced out a lot and wore such formal clothing even if he was visiting the principal of a school.

She saw the long haired Umi gesture to her to sit down. Kotori took a seat opposite of her, quite confused on how to start a conversation. It was normal for them to talk for hours about how Honoka's plans were causing them issues or for them to confide in one another but this time, her words seemed to be stuck at her throat.

'_This is painful…'_

Kotori felt as though her closest friend had turned into a stranger. No, rather, she had distanced herself emotionally to treat her as a stranger. She did not like it. She did not like it at all. She did not want her friends to be apart from her yet she herself was doing it. Suddenly the silence was broken.

"_Kotori, anything the matter?"_

A concerned question came from Umi. Their juniors were engrossed with their own chat while Nozomi was chatting inaudibly with the male sitting opposite her. Was she so obvious in showing her discomfort? She sighed as she straighten herself up. She knew she could not lie to Umi and as much as she did not want to hurt her, she wanted to know what was on the long haired girl's mind on the ponytailed male in question.

"_It's about Kazuma-kun…"_

She responded quietly a faint hint of red surrounding her cheeks showing her embarrassment to be consulting on such a matter yet, she was surprised to see a firm gaze from Umi. Suddenly her shoulders were firmly gripped. Was Umi feeling angered?

"_Kotori… What did he do to you?! Did he do anything indecent?"_

The sudden barrage of questions confused her. Kotori realized that the long haired girl had misinterpreted the meaning of her worries being about him. She smiled in relief somewhat, understanding that he friend truly treasured her. To get jealous over something as simple conversation, she surely must have had a clouded point of view, yet she could not deny, a part of her was still confused.

"_It's not that Umi-chan. He's a good person, awkward admittedly but good nonetheless. It's just… I feel strange when I see him talk with you just now…. I don't know why…"_

Kotori admitted to her friend trying to calm her down. She at the same time explained her situation. Umi from her almost frenzy rage, chuckled a little. Kotori wondered why, it was no laughing matter if she were to laugh off the matter, as the amber eyed girl was seriously lost as to why she felt such anger.

"_Isn't it simple? Even if you were on a faux date as you said, you found yourself somewhat attracted by him. It could be you overthinking, as you rarely chat with guys other than customers here."_

Umi consoled her friend giving her a firm smile, suddenly there were responses from the nearby tables.

"_Kotori's having troubles with a guy?"_

"_Ooh Ka-san's got lucky."_

"_Kotori-chan and a guy… I gotta tell the rest!"_

The three responses came from Nozomi, Shun and Rin respectively. The members of Lily White other than Umi herself, found it amusing to tease the off-duty maid. Kotori herself sank into the corner of her chair blushing hard. She still found it hard to believe that she might like someone whom she recently met or was it simply just that?

As the cat girl Rin began to dial the number of the other members of μ's. Kotori revved into a panic chasing frantically for the phone.

"_Rin-chan!"_

The orange shorthaired girl was surprised and in fear of whatever might happen, she simply dashed right out of the café.

Umi had a smile similar to that of a mother seeing her daughter grow up. She had been close to Kotori since childhood, always bearing the same issues as her when they were faced with ideas from their mutual friend the every straightforward Honoka yet now, it seemed that Kotori was deviating from their united path. Even the working at the café as Minalinsky was something that was due to their brunette's friend idea of being a school idol. Kotori like her name, was currently like a little bird spreading her wings into the unknown.

'_Kotori… I wish you the best…'_


End file.
